Macedonian Shtick

Alexander the Fabulous: The Man Who Brought the World to Its Knees
by Michael Alvear
Alyson Books. 200 pages, $14.95 (paper)

FOR THE ONLY TIME in history the known world was ruled by one man: Alexander the Great. Considered one of the greatest military generals ever, he conquered the world by leading his vast army through 22,000 miles of battles—on foot, no less. But, hey, you can learn that from any history book.

What you won’t learn (and probably won’t see in Oliver Stone’s movie) is that Alexander was a man-loving, cross-dressing drama queen who frequently burst into hydrogen-powered catfights. For that you have to turn to the newest—and most unusual—book written about the legendary hero: Alexander the Fabulous: The Man Who Brought the World to Its Knees. Authors Michael Alvear (who wrote Men Are Pigs, but We Love Bacon) has written the first historically accurate comic biography of Alexander the Great.

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The Gay & Lesbian Review / Worldwide (The G&LR) is a bimonthly magazine targeting an educated readership of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) men and women. Under the tagline, “a bimonthly journal of history, culture, and politics,” The G&LR publishes essays in a wide range of disciplines as well as reviews of books, movies, and plays.